BOSTON – The Brooklyn Nets were not expected by NBA pundits to be a threatening presence in the Eastern Conference this season. They aren’t setting the world on fire by any means, but they have been a thorn in the side of some of the league’s top teams lately.
They’ll arrive tonight to TD Garden with a 2-10 record, but don’t let those win/loss numbers fool you.
They have put together an impressive string of games over the last week and a half, including a win in Houston, an overtime loss at Golden State, a win at home against Atlanta and a five-point loss in Charlotte.
They have four solid starters in Brook Lopez, Jarrett Jack, Joe Johnson and Thaddeus Young. Lopez has been leading the charge as the team’s top scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker, and he’s encouraged by their recent play.
“We’ve just been giving ourselves a chance,” said the 7-foot center following Brooklyn’s shootaround this morning. “We’ve been more competitive and we’ve been playing good teams throughout the beginning of the season, so it’s a just a matter of breaking through and we have to bring a consistent effort every night.”
Lopez, however, has been reliable on a nightly basis. He’s scored 15 or more points during all but two contests and has notched six double-doubles.
Alongside him in the frontcourt, Young has also provided steady scoring.
The 6-foot-8 forward – who arrived from Minnesota last season in exchange for Kevin Garnett – has been on a tear during the last three games, averaging 23.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game.
“He’s been huge,” said Lopez. “We could see that coming in after the All-Star break after we got him. He definitely gave life to us, gave us a different look and that’s obviously why we brought him back. We’re really confident in him.”
Young seems to have a lot of confidence in himself, as well. He’s shooting a team-high 54.0 percent from the field and has been dominant in the post.
“My teammates are just basically finding me in the right position to score the basketball,” said Young. “I’m just feeding off those guys throughout the course of the game and letting it come to me. I’m not trying anything out of the ordinary, not trying anything that’s crazy. I’m just going out there and just finding the right positioning on the court.”
While Young and Lopez have been dependable scorers so far, the team as a whole has had difficulty finding balance. As a result, coach Lionel Hollins is looking past those individual performances and setting his focus on finding a rhythm as an entire unit.
“My theme is the team,” said Hollins. “I want us to play to at a level where we can win. Everybody has good games, good stretches of games, but we need the team to have a good stretch.”
The Nets have been in a bunch of barnburners lately, but their issue has been finishing strong. Young says that’s partially because they are still growing accustomed to one another.
“We’re a fairly new team,” said Young. “We’re just putting pieces together and putting a plan together. It’s starting to work out for us a little bit. We’re in games but we have to figure out how to finish them.”
Tonight they will go up against the Celtics who faced that exact issue Wednesday night, when they lost to Dallas after blowing an 18-point first quarter lead.
However, Hollins knows how dangerous this Boston squad can be.
“They’re really quick, they defend, they force turnovers,” Hollins. “They thrive with their quickness, getting their hands on balls, running down, and then they’re very versatile offensively.”
The C’s versatility in the frontcourt is a specific concern of Johnson. The veteran swingman – who began his career in Boston in 2001 – had spent most of his lengthy career as a shooting guard, but he’s been seeing a great deal of time in the frontcourt this season at the 3, and even at the 4.
“They’re a team who has bigs who can really spread the floor, pass the basketball, put the ball in,” said Johnson. “It’s been challenging playing this team so we understand this is going to be a tough game.”
It may be a challenging night for the Celtics as well, if Brooklyn continues to bring the same intensity it has displayed during the last 10 days.
